Sporting news

Ahead of tonight's Chiefs-Broncos showdown — and yes, it carries the NFL's greatest-game-ever hype of the week — one major issue settles calmly in the corner.

Jack Del Rio, not John Fox, runs the Broncos in a major AFC West game. It's a significant coaching change wrought by Fox's heart surgery.

The Chiefs are 9-0; the Broncos 8-1. Pressure?

"I've never looked at it like that," Del Rio told the Denver Post. "You go to a free-throw line to make a game-winning shot, those thoughts aren't in your head. It's doing your job right, taking the three dribbles, exhaling, nice smooth release, make the shot. You do what you do. I was very good at closing out games with my foul shooting."

Two things to remember: Del Rio was a prep basketball star, the Post notes; and he isn't a novice head coach. Between 2003 and 2011, over a span of 139 regular-season games, he coached the Jaguars. Remember this also: His Jags weren't the laughingstock the current franchise has become. Del Rio's teams went 68-71, including records of 12-4 and 11-5, and made the playoffs or were contenders.

Remember, too, that Fox and Del Rio are amigos. Fox brought Del Rio in as defensive coordinator. The current coaching change, made during a bye week, was an interim appointment of a confidant taking over for an ailing associate/boss.

So decisions will be made by Del Rio with a flavor of Fox, not as an imitation. It's the same message with a different voice.

"You could characterize it how you'd like," Del Rio said. "I've said very clearly, (Fox) established a blueprint and I've worked with him before. So, I understand John.

"I also understand myself, having been a head coach for nine years. I can't possibly be at my best if I'm going to stop and pause and go, 'What would John do? Oh, uhhh.' No, I can't do that."

Last week's victory over the Chargers showed the team and its fans that Del Rio knows how to handle things. The only question will be whether the Broncos can handle the Chiefs.

MARTIN MEETINGS

Jonathan Martin's seven-hour meeting with an NFL investigator is only one step in the process of learning what happened between him and Dolphins teammate Richie Incognito. It might not be a short journey to discover the answers.

For the present, it is not clear when (or if) Martin will rejoin the team. At some point he will meet Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

It also remains to be seen what will happen to Incognito, who filed a grievance this week against the team to fight his suspension. Incognito, a leader on the embattled Dolphins, also faces questions about what happens next in his checkered career.

In his grievance Incognito seeks the immediate resumption of his career.

Martin said little to media members after leaving the Manhattan office building of special investigator Ted Wells.

Mobbed by media, he stood in the camera lights and read a statement.

"Although I went into great detail with Mr. Ted Wells and his team, I do not intend to discuss this matter publicly at this time," Martin said. "This is the right way to handle the situation.

"Beyond that, I look forward to working through the process and resuming my career in the National Football League."

There was no word on when a meeting with Ross, who has an office in New York, would be held. In his statement Martin said he looks "forward to speaking directly with Stephen Ross, [team CEO] Tom Garfinkel and the Dolphins organization at the appropriate time."

Wells is investigating under appointment by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. A report will provide details after Wells completes his work.

Martin, 24, is in his second season with the Dolphins after playing college ball at Stanford.

PATS PENDING

In a game of growing importance, the Patriots will meet the Panthers on Monday without a key defensive player.

Cornerback Alfonzo Dennard is out with a knee injury, a source told The Boston Herald on Saturday.

Both teams are playoff contenders, but in opposite conferences. The Panthers are hot, entering the game 6-3 as they pursue the Saints in the NFC South. The Patriots are 7-2 despite a lineup dealing with injuries and unusual depth and talent questions.

Dennard's injury first appeared on Pats' midweek reports. It was not immediately clear how serious it is or when it occurred. The Patriots are coming off their bye week.

If Aqib Talib is ready he will likely start in place of Dennard. Talib missed three games with a sore hip, the Herald noted. Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan follow on the depth chart.

Safety Steve Gregory has a broken thumb and hadn't practiced this week.

The Panthers present a formidable obstacle with an outstanding defense and an offense built around Cam Newton. While it might appear to be a bit of hype for Monday's telecast, ESPN analyst Jon Gruden told The Charlotte Observer he believes the Panthers "will end up winning 10 or 11 games."

"I just can't tell you how impressed I am with that defense," Gruden said.

The Panthers do have a concern. Coach Ron Rivera told The Observer he expects the unexpected from the Patriots because their coach, Bill Belichick, has had the bye week to prepare. Under Belichick, the site noted, the Patriots are 10-3 after a bye week.